Wisconsin has seen recent brutal baby deaths. That's not normal, but many kids are at risk

Three homicide deaths of babies in Winnebago and Marathon counties in late 2018 drew widespread attention. They represented a tiny fraction of all Wisconsin child abuse cases.(Photo11: mkistryn, Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Three months. Three tragic deaths of Wisconsin infants, all at the hands of adults who were supposed to provide them comfort and care, prosecutors say.

► On Oct. 18, a 2-month-old Wausau boy died from abuse and then his baby sitter dressed him up in his snowsuit and handed him back to his mother, who was unaware her child was dead, according to court records. He had multiple head injuries and a fractured tailbone.

► On Nov. 29, a 7-week-old Oshkosh boy died after his father shook him violently over a crying fit during his mother's first day back at work, a criminal complaint alleges.

► On Dec. 12, a 10-month-old Oshkosh boy died from brain trauma so severe the swelling cracked his skull. A man is accused of hitting the baby, who was crying in his crib.

Those three cases accounted for an unusual blip in child homicide statistics. Before the two babies died in late 2018 in Oshkosh, all of Winnebago County had recorded a total of two child homicides over the six-year period of 2012 to 2017.

Across all 72 counties in Wisconsin, "maltreatment" was blamed for an average of 27 child deaths a year over that period.

What's not uncommon in Wisconsin is violence against children, and experts say the three deaths share a theme found in other abuse incidents: The households have certain characteristics that are more dangerous for kids, including caregivers who don't understand babies and parents who might not have known they could get safer childcare.

In many of the recent local cases, prosecutors say the infant died from brain bleeding; a baby’s soft skull cannot protect against violent shaking or slamming.

But hundreds of children in Wisconsin suffer reportable abuse and must live with the trauma. The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families recorded 806 substantiated reports of physical child abuse in 2017, and Child Protective Services investigated over 42,000 reports in the same time.

Statewide, the department sees 33.1 reports of abuse and neglect per 1,000 children. Winnebago and Marathon counties, the sites of the recent cases, are about on par with the statewide level. In Winnebago, the number is 30.3. In Marathon, it's 33.4.

Three counties clock more than 100 reports per 1,000 kids: Adams, Burnett and Langlade counties — which each have a comparatively low population of children, around 3,000.

Still, “it’s certainly very concerning,” Gieryn said. The department works to promote mental and physical health resources in the community, and assessing child deaths is under the department's purview.

The deaths spark a conversation around access to parenting resources for new, at-risk parents, Gieryn and other experts said. Knowing there’s help and support for the tough job of parenting can be key in changing a child’s future.

“(Parents) just might not have an easy avenue or know how to access resources — or maybe even recognize that they need those resources,” Gieryn said.

Caught in cycle of stress and abuse

While no single profile fits all cases of child abuse, certain risk factors make children more likely to become victims, said Lynn Sheets, medical director of Child Advocacy and Protection Services at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.

Children who are part of families that are under high levels of stress — where there are financial problems, isolation, mental health issues, abuse and more — are more likely to be abused, Sheets said. This follows a 1990s theory that children who grow up in risky families are likely to grow up to be parents with the same issues.

So the cycle continues. Those children will be at greater risk for their own health and social issues. As Gieryn put it, “The health of a child is directly related to the health of the parents.”

The much-publicized Wisconsin cases over the past few months involved the types of difficult family situations experts say are linked to abuse.

The case for high-quality childcare

Many parents think it's best to leave their child with someone they know, such as a partner or acquaintance, rather than send them to a daycare facility or baby sitter, but that doesn't always mean their child is safe, Sheets said.

“If they know that, say, their boyfriend has a short fuse and has some anger issues, it really is better to access a daycare than to leave the baby with someone who you know has some anger problems,” she said. “You think it’s common sense, but a lot of people really don’t know.”

Although biological mothers tend to be accused of neglect in Child Protective Services reports, criminal conviction rates show a mother’s boyfriend, a child’s father or an unrelated female caregiver are the most likely to seriously physically abuse a child, Sheets said.

In Wausau, four young children were injured and one died after they were left in the care of unlicensed and unregulated female daycare providers and baby sitters.

Marissa Tietsort was arrested on one previous count of child abuse after a different child was believed to have died in her care.(Photo11: Courtesy of the Wausau Police Department)

Prosecutors charged Wausau baby sitter Marissa Tietsort on Jan. 4 with first-degree intentional homicide in connection with the 2-month-old boy's death in October. The baby died while Tietsort was watching him and instead of calling for help, she tried to disguise his death by dressing him in winter clothes, pulling a hat over his eyes and returning him to his mom, according to a criminal complaint.

Marathon County prosecutors previously charged Tietsort with causing a head injury to an 11-month-old girl in her care in August, and police investigated her in connection with a 3-month-old boy's skull fracture in 2017.

In November, prosecutors in Marathon County charged unlicensed daycare provider Merisa Sell with two counts of child abuse after a 4-month-old boy and a 16-month-old girl suffered brain bleeds while at her Wausau daycare.

The parents of the children who were abused met Tietsort and Sell through family members, friends or were acquaintances and trusted them to take care of their children because those women are mothers themselves.

That's why licensed and regulated childcare centers are the best option for parents, Sheets said.

But those kinds of programs can be very expensive, especially for low-income families.

Quality childcare can cost anywhere from $110 to more than $200 a week, according to Childcaring, a Wisconsin Rapids-based nonprofit that provides free help to parents seeking daycare.

For parents who are struggling to find quality care for their children, there are subsidies available through the state to help offset the cost.

Families who meet a certain income level are eligible to apply for the subsidy through the state Department of Children and Families and can choose from any licensed or certified childcare provider that has at least a two-out-of-five-star rating on YoungStar, Wisconsin’s childcare quality rating and improvement system.

In December alone, over 36,000 children benefited from childcare subsidies and the state awarded more than $22 million to help offset the cost of care, according to the Department of Children and Families.

Surrounding new parents with support

Childcare is one piece of the support network new parents need. Supportive family and friends are key during their baby's first few months, said Kelly Hinz of Parent Connection, a program of Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin that reaches out to new, at-risk families at Fox Valley hospitals.

“Obviously parenting is a tough job,” Hinz said. “When you bring that baby home, it’s completely different from what you might expect.”

Without that crucial support network, parents can experience social isolation. That’s another risk factor that can lead to abuse.

“If you're a neighbor of somebody with a new baby, offer to provide them a night out, some respite time," Sheets said. "If you know they’re frustrated, encourage them to talk with their pediatrician about how frustrated they’re feeling because there are a lot of resources out there, but you have to reach out for them."

Single parents who lack a robust support network may also lack reliable childcare, safe housing or a sufficient income to take care of their children. This all feeds into an unstable household with a higher risk of abuse.

Some of those factors converged in the case of the 10-month-old child who died Dec. 12 in Oshkosh.

Prosecutors say the baby's mother had moved into a bedroom last fall in the 800 block of Grove Street. Freddy A. Colon, the man eventually charged with killing the baby, moved into the apartment soon after, and in recent weeks he was pushing the mother and son to leave.

On the day prosecutors say Colon fatally injured the baby, he argued with the mother about moving out, according to a criminal complaint. She stayed in the bedroom with her son nearly all day because Colon was angry and she did not want to interact with him.

Parent Connection hopes to reduce the social isolation some new, at-risk parents may feel. The agency hosts regular meetups for parents to get to know each other and develop a sense of community.

“Every parent has questions about their child and how their child is developing,” Hinz said. “(This makes) them feel like they’re a part of something.”

Plus, the organization connects parents to resources around the community — from domestic abuse shelters to moms’ groups to food pantry schedules.

More resources are available via county health or human services departments. Parent Connection is part of an organization called Family Services, which serves northeast Wisconsin. Find out more at familyservicesnew.org.

How a baby being a baby leads to abuse

What doctors and other experts consider normal infant and toddler behavior, such as crying, defiant attitudes or trouble toilet training, can sometimes be a catalyst for abuse when parents or caregivers don’t know how to deal with those behaviors, Sheets said.

That's what prosecutors say happened on Nov. 29 in Oshkosh. Cory D. Lyons, 27, of Oshkosh violently shook his 7-week-old son at least five times because he was frustrated with the baby’s crying, according to a criminal complaint. Lyons was watching the baby on the mother’s first day back to work since giving birth.

Lyons told police that as he “jerked” the baby around, the baby cried harder, further frustrating him, according to a complaint. The baby died later that night from brain bleeding, doctors told police.

But it's often normal for infants to cry inconsolably, Sheets said.

Hospitals across Wisconsin are introducing a curriculum called “Period of PURPLE Crying,” she said, and the program teaches new parents what type of crying is OK and how to cope with it.

“Everybody, it doesn’t matter who you are, can feel stressed if a baby is crying inconsolably, especially for a long period of time,” Sheets said.

Doctors in the past described some inconsolable crying in infants as colic, which sounded like a disease to many parents and made them feel like there was something wrong with their baby — when instead it's a normal part of their development. All infants go through a phase of increased crying, which begins around the time a baby is 2 weeks old. Crying peaks at about 2 months and eventually levels off by around 4 or 5 months.

For toddlers and older children, Sheets encourages parents to use positive discipline methods, rather than physical punishments when their children are acting out.

“Even if (parents) were brought up with physical discipline — spanking or hitting with objects or slapping — those are ineffective,” Sheets said. “In fact, those cause more harm. There are a lot better things that you can do to help guide and teach your children to do better.”

Among resources where parents can find positive parenting tips and techniques are the Triple P program and the American Academy of Pediatrics website.